Pages

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Our neighbor and cruise planner extraordinaire Anne, recently brought some Zucchini Hummus to a neighbor’s gathering and I was beyond delighted as it not only fit in perfectly with my diet but it was crazy delicious! I couldn’t stop eating the hummus and those who tasted it side-by-side with traditional hummus made with chickpeas, preferred the Zucchini Hummus. This Zucchini Hummus is wheat, egg, dairy & legume free so healthy, delicious and safe for all in the Cook Lisa Cook house. We changed Ann’s recipe a bit, increasing the amount of zucchini and garlic in relation to the tahini & olive oil, really just to cut the calories somewhat. Ann’s recipe was a bit more rich but this version has all the wonderful flavor of hummus but extra oil and tahini can be added if you choose.

Peel and slice the zucchini into half rounds. Place into a colander and salt well coating all pieces. Allow the zucchini to sweat for 20-30 minutes. Discard the accumulated liquid and rinse the zucchini well then quickly pat dry and add to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and puree until creamy smooth. Season to taste with fresh ground pepper and salt. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil.

Getting back to the ragu, we stayed pretty true to Beth’s original recipe, just doubling the amount of poblano and cumin we used as we tend to like dishes more on the spicy hot side. In the end though, the sauce wasn’t spicy at all, just well balanced, flavorful and delicious. We also changed around the preparation method a bit just to make it easier for us and the way we cook but either method would work just as well. We enjoyed the ragu over zucchini pasta, totally delicious! This is a great make-ahead recipe as we enjoyed the ragu the first night but totally loved it as leftovers once the flavors really melded.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with a little coconut oil or oil of your choice. Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves on the prepared pan and stir everything around so that all is covered with a light coating of the oil. Dust with salt & pepper. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are a bit browned and the garlic is tender. While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, char the poblano on either the grill or on the burner of a gas stove. Char the skin on all sides and then place the poblano in a plastic bag so that it can sweat.

In a skillet, add a small amount of coconut oil and then add the diced sweet peppers and onion. sauté until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the ground beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper as it browns then stir in the cooked peppers and onions into the browned beef.

Once the roasting vegetables are finished, scrape all of the tomatoes, garlic and accumulated juices into a blender or food processor. Remove the skin and seeds from the poblano and add that to the tomatoes and garlic, along with the can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin & parsley. Pulse until blended but still a bit chunky. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Pour the contents of the blender into the pan with the beef, peppers & onions and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Season as needed with additional salt & pepper.